BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun (NSIC) has released the 2026 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with Concordia-St. Paul selected in the 11
th spot among the 15 NSIC baseball programs.
Concordia picked up 76 points in the poll, slotting in 13 points behind 10
th-place Winona State (89) and 12
th-place and league newcomer Jamestown (48). The Golden Bears nearly as close to the eighth spot in the poll (Minnesota Crookston, 112) as they do to Jamestown.
Defending NSIC champion Minnesota State and second-place Augustana took the top two spots, virtually splitting the vote with MSU edging Augie with an 8-7 first place vote margin and a 190-189 total point margin.
Last year, Concordia went 17-23, finishing just three games out of a playoff spot in another closely contested NSIC race for tournament positions.
"After being a senior-dominated team for the last two years, our team will have a new and younger look this year. We have a core group of returners who gained valuable experience last year and added a very talented freshman and transfer class this year, one that will include several players who will have the opportunity to make an immediate impact on the field. With 17 new players on our roster, we have been impressed with how the team has meshed and how the guys have worked the last several months. We look forward to seeing them compete this spring." -
Head Coach Neil Lerner
Concordia opens non-conference play at Missouri Western State for a four-game series covering the three-day weekend February 6-8 in St. Joseph, Missouri.
CSP opens NSIC action with a neutral site series against Minnesota Crookston in a four-game series over the February 20-22 weekend at LaRoche Baseball Complex in Fort Scott, Kansas, with the fourth game of the series counted as a non-conference game.
CSP concludes its non-conference slate at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in the greater Orlando area with six non-conference games and a four-game series against Jamestown with the first three games in the series counting as NSIC contests.
The 2026 NSIC Baseball Tournament will take the top eight teams in the final NSIC Standings. The eight-team double-elimination NSIC Tournament takes place May 6-9 at Ronken Field and The Birdcage in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Tournament will be co-hosted by University of Sioux Falls and Augustana University. The tournament will be streamed on the NSIC Network, with tournament passes or single-game access available for purchase.
#21 Charlie Harms (1B, 6-3, 205, Jr., L/L, Eagan, Minn. / Eagan HS / North Iowa Area CC)
- Leads all returning Golden Bears with an .805 OPS, 36 runs, 31 RBIs, 28 walks and a .408 OBP
- Played in 47 games with 41 starts, adding a .270 average (38-136) with a pair of doubles and a triple
- Had eight multi-hit games in CSP's final 20 contests, lifting his average from .215 to .279
- In a 7-game midseason stretch against SCSU, WSC and WSU, hit .407 (11-27) with seven runs, 14 RBIs, a triple and two home runs
Lerner on Harms: "Since transferring to CSP after two years at a junior college, Charlie immediately became a leader on our team. On the field, he is a high-IQ player who has a tremendous skill set. He is a plus defender at first base and is a threat to do damage every time he is at the plate. He has a high-level work ethic that rubs off on his teammates and always pushes them to be their best."
#27 Sam Kennedy (RHP, 6-1, 205, So., R/R, St. Paul, Minn. / North St. Paul HS / Minnesota)
- Joins CSP from the University of Minnesota
- An Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2024
- 2-0, 2.45 ERA in eight appearances and one start for the Gophers in 2024
- Had 18 strikeouts in 14.2 innings
- Limited opposing hitters to a .212 average and just one extra-base hit with no HR allowed
- Held a 28.1 percent strikeout rate against 64 batters faced
- Pitched in five consecutive scoreless appearances covering 11.1 innings including his first Big Ten appearance against Nebraska
- Former Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year (2022)
Lerner on Kennedy: "Although this is Sam's first year with our team, he has quickly earned the respect and trust of his teammates and coaches. He has had success pitching at the Division I level, and his impressive skill set on the mound should set him up to be the leader on our pitching staff this year. Sam leads by example with a maturity and work ethic that has already made a big impact on our team during his short time in our program."
